Background Noise
by Blau
Summary: Unable to log out due to contact with AIDA, Silabus finds himself trapped in a world he had always assumed to be a fake. But when you can feel the blow of an attack and the warmth of the sun, how long can you convince yourself that none of it is real?
1. introduction

**Notes:** Hallo everyone Wie geht's? It's been... a somewhat long time since my last update? xD;; I hope I don't fall into a funk of never updating...

I've had this idea for awhile now; that while the story takes place in The World, the movements of players is dictated by a controller and their reactions to things are controlled by a keyboard. Everything someone does is a result of their real self thinking about it - some thinking about it more than others. In The World, a person could remake his/her life completely. It's easy to get lost in such a thing, pretending you're something you're not. Where, even if you don't feel like smiling, all you need to do is type in :) and no one can tell how depressed you really are. You get lulled into a false sense of security that no one can see past your mask; that despite how real the game is, it _is_ only a game.

But suppose the game becomes real. That you're the only one not wearing a mask, and everyone can see who you are. So then what? Do you go on pretending that everything is fine? Or do you let your walls down and let them know that no, you're not okay.

To those who have read my other fanfics, I think it's pretty obvious my favorite character is Silabus. I wanted to write this with him being the main character. I wanted to explore the idea that maybe Morino Yuuichi isn't exactly like his online counterpart; that there is a darker side to the "sun", so to speak.

Aside from that, and maybe even more importantly, I think that were AIDA (Ovan? Sakaki?) to try and deal a blow to G.U., attacking someone completely unrelated to the project would be the way they'd go. And who better than to attack Silabus? Gaspard is seen as a just a kid, but Silabus? Silabus is more their age; he's only nineteen. He took over Canard when Kuhn left, and he helped Haseo out with the tournament - and, unknowingly, helped G.U. get one step closer to defeating AIDA.

The fanfic itself takes place somewhere between... oh, let's say halfway through the second game :D It will eventually be KuhnSila; if that troubles you, then please don't read. The title, "Background Noise"... nnn, I don't really like it, but I can't think of anything better. We'll roll with it for now. D:

So, without further ado, here is Background Noise.

* * *

Looking through his visor all he can see is a forever setting sun, it's reflection cast upon rippling waters, and the shadows cast onto the streets. Not to mention the hundreds of people, all dressed gaudily by the real world's standards. Beyond the constant murmur of the crowd, soft background music plays; a would-be lullaby, if one could actually hear the music.

All of this a stark contrast to the real world, where the only background music was the pitter-patter of rain, the only thing he could see was his messy apartment, and any person he might have seen was hidden by an umbrella. No one was around in the real world; not where Morino Yuuichi was, anyway. Comparing the real world with The World, it was an obvious choice as to which Yuuichi preferred to spend most of his time in.

Raising a hand to adjust his microphone, he replaced it back onto the controller; the warmth from his hands had warmed the piece of equipment up considerably. He paid no mind to this, however, instead focusing on the game. More specifically, a PC that had caught his eye. Dressed in white and different tones of blues, the PC would have looked like any of the others were it not for the giant... thing around his arm. Wondering idly how much the thing weighed, Silabus continued staring at the PC. Raising an eyebrow, Yuuichi shifted in his seat. The PC was obviously modified in some way, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to talk to a modified PC. He didn't want to get banned for being associated with him or something.

The other PC, Ovan, seemed to not care, for he approached Silabus anyway.

"Excuse me," the man said, his voice light. "You are Silabus, correct?"

"Yes," Yuuichi said, his voice echoing slightly as Silabus said it as well. Wary, he continued, "Can I help you?"

"I require some assistance. Your guildmate, Gaspard, told me I should talk to you," Ovan said, seemingly oblivious to Silabus' unease.

"Oh! What can I help you with?" a few taps on a keyboard, and Silabus smiled warmly. Ovan smiled back, a small, tight smile.

"I have a friend who has just joined The World. I'm too busy to explain the basics to her, and from what I understand Canard is a guild dedicated to helping newbies.."

"That we are:)" Silabus said cheerfully. It was easy to get lost while playing this game; to forget that there wasn't actually a person in front of him, but a computer. That, really, Yuuichi was just talking to himself. "Would you like me to explain the game to your friend?"

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble," Ovan said, his smile growing. The feeling of unease came back. Yuuichi couldn't explain it, but there was something off about Ovan. Other than his PC body, anyway. "The area is Delta - Bursting, Passed Over, Aqua Field."**1**

Tapping his controller to get rid of the window that popped up, alerting him that they area words had been added to his list, Silabus nodded.

"When should I go?" he asked. "Is your friend online now?"

"Actually, she is," Ovan said, his smile widening further. Shivering, Yuuichi shifted in his chair once again.

"Great:) I can go meet with her now then. What's her name?" Ignoring the feeling that he shouldn't do this, Yuuichi tightened his hands on the controller. He was being stupid. He had done this before, helping out someone who was too busy to teach their friend to play. This was nothing new. This was...

"AIDA," Ovan said. "Her name is AIDA."

"Alright. I'll go to her now then. Can you tell her to wait at the field entrance?"

"Yes. And thank you for helping me," Ovan said, inclining his head slightly. As though finished with the conversation, Ovan turned and began walking away. Exhaling quietly, Yuuichi continued to watch Ovan disappear into the crowd before finally moving Silabus over to the nearest Warp Portal. Going to the Central Dome, he then entered the actual building and moved to the large Warp Portal inside. Opening the list of keywords, Yuuichi selected the ones Ovan had given to him and warped to the area.

As soon as the screen loaded, Yuuichi knew something was wrong. Parts of the field were missing, the background music was skipping parts, and there was something going on to the left of him. Turning, Yuuichi blinked. A series of black dots, constantly moving and flickering, hovered in front of him. The feeling of unease Ovan had given to him grew tenfold, and, heart beating wildly, Yuuichi kept Silabus where he was. The black dots loomed ominously, as though watching Silabus. There was something wrong here. Something horribly, horribly wrong. Thumb brushing the analog stick and causing Silabus to take a step back, Yuuichi was unprepared for the black dots to suddenly lurch forward, filling his visor with blackness. A jumble of thoughts whirled inside his head, all of which were exclaiming that this wasn't right, that he needed to get away, warp out, unplug the terminal - _anything_. But he couldn't move. His hands remained holding the controller, the visor still on his head. He could feel these, and then... suddenly, he couldn't.

Gasping as a sudden chill covered him, he flailed blindly, still unable to see due to... whatever that thing was. His heart beat more wildly, his breaths coming shorter and shorter. He couldn't see anything, he couldn't feel anything, couldn't sense anything...

The black crept into his mind, and there was nothingness.  
**  
**

* * *

**1.** Too tired to think up another area. xD;; 


	2. awaken

When Silabus awoke, the first thing he noticed was a blade of glass halfway up his nose. Groaning, he rolled onto his side slowly, and then let gravity take its course and flopped onto his back. The sun beat down on him mercilessly, causing him to squint and groan again as he rose a gloved hand up to shield his eyes. He lay there for a long moment, breathing slowly, before he realized that he was _outside_. Hadn't he just been _inside_? Hadn't it been _raining_? Moving his hand, he squinted back up at the sky. Yup, still sunny.

The smooth leather felt cool on his face, and with a start he realized that he had gloves on. Staring at his hand confusedly, Silabus sat up, brow furrowed. Gloves? He hadn't been wearing gloves. And - as his bangs fell in his eyes - he was pretty sure his hair wasn't this light of a brown. Sitting up, he let out a gasp. Green pants tucked into a pair of knee-high black boots. A green vest, held in place by three belts, covered his torso, while a pair of white, clingy arm-warmers covered up to his elbows. The black gloves went to mid-forearm.

This outfit seemed familiar. Scarily so. Because, despite playing in first-person view most of the time, Silabus could still recognize his own PC's outfit. So now, Silabus thought as he slowly stood up, his sword banging against the side of his leg lightly, the question was: how did he get here? Why was he dressed up as his PC? What... what had happened?

If, for whatever reason, he had been kidnapped... why here? Why had he been abandoned in a field? Why was he dressed up like his online persona, Silabus? What if... what if he had a stalker, or something? Had he pissed off someone enough to make them want to do this? Oh, he should have just given that Kestrel PKer his weapon! Now look at the mess he was in!

A quick pattering of footsteps came from behind, and Silabus turned just in time to see a yellow goblin tackle him, it's small dagger raised.  
Yelling out in surprise, Silabus stumbled backwards as the monster slashed at him, barely missing Silabus. Heart pounding, Silabus unsheathed his sword. Holding it clumsily compared to how his PC, Silabus managed an equally clumsy attack, hitting the goblin in the arm. The goblin turned grey and stiffened, eventually breaking apart and shattering. Shakingly Silabus stood, unsure if he should put his sword back or not.

"Hey, good job!" a voice called out cheerfully. Turning, Silabus spotted a guy about his age with blond hair and cat eats. "You looked uneasy for a bit. Are you new to the game?"

Shifting nervously, Silabus sheathed his weapon and slowly shook his head.

"No, not really," he said, frowning a bit. "I just..."

He just what? Couldn't figure out how to take out his weapon like this? But then... how was he supposed to describe what "this" was? That he was really in the game? Yeah, right. Like that would fly. Most likely, this PC (whose name wasn't showing up in the... wait, where was Silabus' chat log? Why wasn't it up..?) would think he was joking.

The beast PC smiled. "Hey, don't worry. I'm not discriminatory towards newbies. They bring in pretty good busi... oh! Are you worried I'm a PKer? Don't worry! I'm just a merchant. Here!" The PC walked up until he was right in front of Silabus, and Silabus was disgruntled to find that this player was at least a head taller than him, if not more. The other player grabbed Silabus' hand and placed a card in it. Startled, for Silabus had actually FELT the hand, could actually FEEL the card, he stared down at it.****

Pilocchio has sent you a friend request. Accept or deny?

Frowning now, Silabus looked up at Pilocchio.

"Umm.. I.." he began, blushing. He would accept the friend request if he knew HOW. When he was playing, he didn't get a CARD. He got a WINDOW that came up and he could select what one he wanted. But... there was no window, there wasn't anything he could select it with.

Pilocchio just stood there, smiling a patient smile. Silabus continued holding the card, and as his thumb brushed over "accept" the card suddenly disappeared.

"Great!" Pilocchio chirped. "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to send me a PM! Or you can find me in Mac Anu, okay? My friend Ita and I run a shop there."

"Ita?" Silabus echoed. Didn't Gaspard know someone named Ita..?

"Yup! Do you know her?" Pilocchio asked, tilting his head curiously. He frowned suddenly, and then grinned again. "Maa, sorry, Silabus! I gotta go! I'll see you later, okay?"

"Umm, sure.." Silabus said, watching the blond PC warp out of the field. Well. That definitely ruled out Silabus being kidnapped and dumped in a random field. So... was this a new feature or something? If it was, maybe he could log out and switch it back to normal. He did not like this style at all.

But... how could he bring up the menu, when he apparently wasn't holding a controller or wasn't sitting in front of a terminal? Swallowing thickly, he stood there, dumb-founded. How... what...

"What's going on?" he muttered to himself. "Why can't I bring up the menu? How am I supposed to log out or do anything..?"

A chime sounded, alerting Silabus that he had mail. But he didn't see the mail icon, nor could he log out to read it. This wasn't good.

This wasn't good at all.

* * *

**Notes:** Sorry for the delay, everyone! I'm still alive. :3

Sorry for any mistakes that I made. It's hard to concentrate when you're playing Mafia. xD;;

And surprise appearance by Pilocchio. :3 He's too cute not to put in there.


	3. disorientation

Silabus wasn't exactly sure how long he had been standing in that field. An hour? Two hours? Maybe longer, if the throbbing in his legs was any indication. Eventually, however, he realized that just sitting here wasn't going to do anything. He needed to get back to his home somehow, right? He needed to get back to... to the real world. Because he was in The World, wasn't he? That was the only explanation he could come up with, poor as it was.

So he wandered.

And as he did, he realized that without a map, he had no idea where the portals were. Where the Chaos Gates were. Where anything was. These maps went on forever in all directions... what if Silabus got lost? What if he got so far out that no one could find him? What if...

A sudden panic overtook him, and he stopped where he was, gasping as his heart thudded wildly. His breaths came out in short pants, his pupils dissolving into mere pinpricks. What was he supposed to do now? Keep going? Or stay here?

Calm down, he told himself. Think about this rationally. Slowly, his breathing returned to normal, and he thought of his options.

This area was relatively small, since it was a newbie area. Only four Chaos Gates and a dungeon. So... the warp portal would be by the dungeon then. And, if he was remembering correctly, he just had to follow the Chaos Gates and that would lead him to the dungeon. Satisfied that he now had a plan, he looked around for one. The panic from moments ago rose again when he didn't see one, but wait! There, to his far left, barely seen, was a Chaos Gate. Relieved, Silabus ran over to it, staying a distance away so as to not set off the portal. He was fortunate enough to have spotted the portal closest to the dungeon.

Maybe, just maybe, things were looking up.

Running over to the warp portal, Silabus remembered once again that he didn't have a controller. He couldn't select anything. Running a hand through his hair, Silabus groaned.

'I just want to get to Mac Anu... how hard can-" he was cut off when, all of a sudden, the warp portal glowed and then Silabus was surrounded in a bright light.

Then the warping began.

It was the most unpleasant thing Silabus has ever felt. It felt like his cells had just split up and he was nothing, just a mere thought. It was almost painful as his mind sent signals to limbs and organs that apparently weren't there. He was terrified, truly terrified, for what if he was stuck in here? At least on the field he had a body. But in here, wherever this was, he was nothing. He was just data. No one would find him, and no one would be able to save him then.

The dim light of Mac Anu's central dome filled Silabus' vision as, finally, he arrived into the water city. He could have cried, he was so relieved, but he instead let out a shaky sigh and took a step forward, nearly stumbling. He'd regain his bearings and then go to Canard and wait for Haseo. Haseo would know what to do, right? And even if he didn't, Kuhn would know for sure. Kuhn always knew what to do. Kuhn...

"Silabus!"

Kuhn was here.

Disorientation be damned, Silabus ran over to the ex-guildmaster and clung to him. He clenched his eyes shut as he tried not to cry, not to shout about the injustices (why was HE the one to be stuck inside of a game!? why not someone else?! someone who would actually WANT to be?!); instead, he focused on Kuhn. How odd the material felt. How Kuhn's hair tickled the backs of Silabus' hands. How... warm Kuhn was.

Silabus flushed, tightening his hold on Kuhn as Kuhn attempted to pry Silabus off of him. Sighing when he realized Silabus wouldn't be letting go, Kuhn wrapped an around the younger man.

"What's wrong?" he murmured, leaning down slightly so he could speak into Silabus' ear. Silabus said nothing, just focused on Kuhn. He could feel himself relaxing. Kuhn shifted. "Silabus?"

Silabus let out a breath. Maybe... maybe instead of involving Kuhn right away, Silabus could try and figure stuff out by himself. No need to make Kuhn worry if the problem turned out to be something really minor.

"I'm fine," Silabus said, stepping away from Kuhn and forcing a smile on his face. From Kuhn's expression, it was obvious that he knew the smile was fake and there was something wrong. "I'm just glad to see you, that's all!"

Kuhn stared at him for a long moment, causing Silabus to fidget.

"I'm glad to see you too," Kuhn said, a small frown on his face. "Now, mind telling me what's really up?"

"Nothing," Silabus said, his smile dropping. His voice lowered as he said pleadingly, "Nothing, Kuhn."

Just drop it, the unsaid message was.


	4. relief

Silabus was exhausted. When was the last time he had slept? How long had he been in The World? Time didn't pass in Mac Anu, and Silabus didn't want to leave Canard to ask another user for the time. What if Haseo came in while Silabus was out? Haseo never stayed in the guild for long, since he was so busy doing his other duties. He was in and out, just like that.

And so Silabus was stuck, leaning against the wall with his arms wrapped around his legs as he lay his head on his knees, struggling not to fall asleep. What if he did fall asleep, and he never woke again? What if... what if it was like what happened when he warped into Mac Anu? His consciousness just floated about, not tying him to anything? That feeling of being loss, of being so fragile and vulnerable... it frightened him. He couldn't handle feeling that way again, not so soon!

He exhaled, lifting his head up when he heard an angry huff.

"Are you just sitting here, doing nothin'?" Death Grunty asked, arms folded over his chest.

"Yes," Silabus said, smiling and shifting so he was sitting cross-legged. Immediately, Death Grunty climbed into his lap and lay down, looking up at Silabus suspicously.

"Shouldn't you be doing something productive?" he asked, wiggling to get more comfortable in Silabus' lap.

"Yes," Silabus said, looking away from Death Grunty guiltily. "But I'm waiting for Haseo. I don't want to miss him."

"Just send him a message and tell him to meet you somewhere!" Death Grunty huffed, hitting Silabus' leg lightly.

"I can't," Silabus murmured.

"Why?"

"I don't know ho- The PMing system isn't working for me or something," Silabus lied, hoping it'd be enough to fool the grunty. Death Grunty made a small noise in understanding.

"Want me to call him for you?" he asked.

"You can do that?" Silabus wondered aloud. "That'd be great if you could!"

Death Grunty froze for a moment, eyes shutting as he apparently sent Haseo the message.

"Done, oink!" he exclaimed, eyes opening.

"Thank you very much!" Silabus grinned, lifting the grunty up for a quick hug. Death Grunty pushed Silabus away, blushing. Silabus laughed quietly, putting the grunty down.

"What do you want, you stupid pig- oh, Silabus?" the door to the guild slammed open and Haseo emerged, hands on his hips. Scrambling up, Silabus ran over to Haseo. "What's up?"

"Um.." murmured Silabus, suddenly embarrassed. What if Haseo didn't believe him and left? If Haseo didn't believe him, would Kuhn? Would anyone?

"What?" Haseo asked, becoming agitated. "If you're not going to say anything, I'm going to le-"

"No!" Silabus burst out.

"So what is it?" Haseo scowled.

"I.. I can't log out," Silabus said quietly, fiddling with his shirt.

"What do you mean, you can't log out?" Haseo questioned. "Like, your controller isn't working or something?"

"I'm not holding a controller," Silabus said, just as quietly as before. "I'm not in front of a terminal. Haseo, I... I think I'm inside the game."

He squeezed his eyes shut, bowing his head as he waited for Haseo to call him stupid and leave. The hand on his shoulder startled him from his worrying.

"Start from the beginning," Haseo demanded. "Did you log in and find out you couldn't? Did something happen?"

"I logged in and this played approached me, asking if I could help his friend learn the basics. I said yes, and he gave me the area words. So I went, and this... thing attacked me," Silabus said shakily. "And I must have blacked out or something, because when I woke up I was in the area. I mean, literally in it."

"What did the thing look like? Do you remember the player's name?" Haseo quickly asked.

"It was... all black. A bunch of black dots. The PC who talked to me, his name was Ovan. He had a really weird thing on his arm - like a giant lock, kind of. He said his friend was 'AIDA'... Haseo, do you know anything about this?" Silabus asked when he saw the fierce scowl on Haseo's face. Haseo didn't answer, instead grabbing Silabus' hand and dragging him outside of the guild.

"H-Haseo? Where are we going?" Silabus paniced, hoping Haseo wasn't going to make them warp to a different part of town.

"To Raven's Home," Haseo said, dragging Silabus right over to a warp portal. Panicing, Silabus began to struggle.

"W-we can't warp!" he cried. "L-let's just walk there or something!"

"It's faster to warp," Haseo said, raising an eyebrow at Silabus.

"B-but... you don't feel it," Silabus whispered, "Having everything be split apart and unable to do anything..."

Understanding dawned on Haseo's face. A motorcycle appeared next to him, the motor surprising Silabus.

"We'll take this then," Haseo explained, climbing onto it. "Come on."

Hesitantly, Silabus got on the back, wrapping his arms around Haseo.

"Hold on tight," Haseo warned, before gunning the engine and revving off towards Raven.

* * *

Sorry for the delay, everyone! nn I hope everyone's in character; it's been awhile since I've played the game.


	5. help

As the doors of Raven's Home slammed open, Silabus winced at the noise while still be tugged along by an impatient Haseo. Feeling strangely reluctant to be in here - surely he'd _want _to be here, since these people could help him, right? - Silabus looked around nervously. It certainly wasn't like Canard's Home, that was for sure...

"Old hag!" Haseo called from the entrance, pausing as he scanned the area for the "old hag". Spotting her in her usual spot with Yata at the back of the guild, Haseo stomped over to the two. Silabus followed nervously, fiddling with his gloves. As the door shut behind him, Silabus stopped to let his eyes adjust. Had areas always been this dark? Or did the FMD automatically adjust the lighting for the area? Now that Silabus didn't have one, it all seemed... well, scary, really. Save for the computer screens at the end of the room, there were no lights in the building.

Hesitantly, Silabus continued to move forward, footsteps echoing loudly in the empty room.

"-wrong! Can't you fix it?!" Haseo exclaimed angrily. The cool air of the room settled on Silabus like a blanket, causing him to shiver lightly. How could people stand to be here, in this cold? How could the woman? She was barely wearing anything!

"I could if I knew what the problem was!" the woman snapped just as angrily. The door opened once again, and at the sudden light Silabus squinted his eyes shut, opening them slowly to adjust. No one else seemed to be affected by it, making him feel oddly vulnerable. He wrapped his arms around himself, watching the new person enter the building. Once again, the door shut, forcing Silabus' eyes to adjust once again.

He hated this place.

"Hey, Pi, some users have been complaining about a glitchy area. Is there anything on..." Kuhn said, approaching the trio. "Silabus? What are you doing here?"

Rather than let Silabus explain for himself, Haseo burst out, "He says he's stuck here!"

"What?" Immediately, Kuhn moved closer to Silabus.

"What do you mean, 'stuck'?" Pi asked, folding her arms in front of her chest.

"I-I can't log out," Silabus said quietly.

"Can't log out?" Yata echoed, speaking for the first time. "As in, you're experiencing a technical error, or..?"

"No!" Silabus burst, tears of frustration welling in his eyes. If it had only been that, Silabus would have just taken off his FMD! Why did these people think that Silabus was that stupid?!

"He said he ran into AIDA!" Haseo yelled. "Ovan tricked him and had Silabus go to AIDA!" He glared at Pi and Yata. "Why the hell didn't you guys notice any activity?!"

"The World is a very big place," Yata said, staring down at Haseo. "It's impossible for us to view every area at the same time."

As Haseo continued to argue with Yata and Pi, Kuhn wrapped an arm around Silabus' shoulders, causing the younger boy to jump. He could feel the weight of Kuhn's arm, the warmth emanating from it. Subconsciously, Silabus moved closer to the source of warmth.

"Are you okay?" Kuhn asked quietly, bending slightly so he could look Silabus in the eye.

"It's cold in here," Silabus admitted. "And very dark. It's actually kind of scary."

Kuhn chuckled, wrapping his other arm around Silabus, who immediately cuddled closer with a happy sigh. Kuhn was so warm! But... wait. Why would Kuhn be warm? The game creators wouldn't program PCs to have body heat, would they? There wasn't a reason for it. Frowning, Silabus put a hand to Kuhn's chest before shoving him away and looking at him with wide eyes.

"Y-you have a pulse, Kuhn!" Silabus exclaimed. "A-are you stuck in here too?!"

The bickering with Haseo, Yata, and Pi stopped. Kuhn looked up at Yata before back to Silabus.

Silabus looked around at the others confusedly.

"You're not... all stuck here, are you?" he asked slowly, wrapping his arms around himself once again as the cold settled on him. Noticing this, Kuhn slung an arm over Silabus, the other hand pressed against Silabus' back to make sure the blade brandier didn't move away.

"Not stuck, exactly," Pi said. "Every time we log in, we become connected to our PCs. I... wasn't aware that we emitted warmth, but I suppose it's because we do connect that we give off heat."

"Connected?" Silabus questioned, holding onto his arms more tightly.

"Our PCs are unique," Yata said simply. Wondering what he meant, Silabus opened his mouth to ask but was cut off by Haseo.

"In case you guys have forgotten, Silabus is _stuck_ here! Aren't you going to try to do anything to get him out?!" Haseo exclaimed, gesturing over to Silabus. "His body could be in a coma now!"

"What?!" Silabus gasped. Frantic, he turned to Kuhn, who frowned thoughtfully. Pi turned to tap on a few keys of the see-through keyboard (_why would she have one of those? _Silabus wondered), and a news station appeared on one of the screens.

"...in other news, yet another player of The World has fallen into a coma. Morino Yuuichi, a nineteen-year-old college student, was found in his apartment..."

Silabus froze, slowly sliding down to his knees. Looking away from the screen, which now sported a picture of a young brunet man, he realized Silabus wasn't next to him but was kneeling on the ground, staring numbly at the floor.

"Silabus?" Kuhn asked, moving down to his knees as well. When he got no response, he put a hand on Silabus' shoulder, shaking it gently. "Silabus?"

Flicking his gaze up to the screen, where his picture still was, Silabus let out a shaky laugh.

"That's a horrible picture of me," he said, tears forming and dripping down his face. Letting out another laugh, Silabus rose a glove and wiped away the tears, surprised at how cool the leather was. He stared down at it, surprised. Was this... was this how it was going to be, from now on? Was he going to be stuck in this game forever? Stuck in this root town? What would happen to him when the server went down for maintenance? Would he be erased? Would he have to warp out again?

He let out a miserable moan, pressing his hands to his eyes as he cried.

"Aren't you going to do anything!?" Haseo yelled. Kuhn rubbed circles on Silabus' back, murmuring comforting words to the distraught boy. With a sob, Silabus threw himself onto Kuhn, wrapping his arms around the steam gunner's neck tightly.

"There was an incident similar to this," Yata said.

"Something like this has happened before?" Haseo asked, eyes narrowing. "Why hasn't the problem been fixed then?!"

"There's different reasons people go into a coma," Yata said calmly, unaffected by Haseo's rage. "Some play the game too long. Others have medical conditions. However, there has only been one known incident where a player was stuck _in_ The World."

"Seven years ago, right?" Kuhn asked. Yata rose an eyebrow and turned to him.

"You played R:1?" he asked. Kuhn nodded. Silabus detached himself from Kuhn slightly, looking interested. He didn't know Kuhn used to play R:1...

"I was Sieg," Kuhn boasted, a cocky grin on his face.

"Ahh. The player who wanted to best Balmung," Yata said, smirking. Kuhn scowled at the name.

"Who cares about him!" Kuhn said. "Who were _you_, Yata?"

"I went by the name of Wiseman," Yata said. Kuhn laughed.

"It figures!"

"We can go down memory road later!" Haseo exclaimed, kicking Kuhn's back softly. "What about this player who went into a coma?"

"The player, Tsukasa, was trapped inside The World for six months," Yata said. "It was said he had discovered the Key of the Twilight."

Haseo stiffened, though not because of the mention of the Key of the Twilight. The name Tsukasa sounded familiar to him... but why? He had never encountered a player like that before, had he? Maybe it had been someone in the town whose name had shown up on Haseo's chat log or something...

Clenching his fists on Kuhn's shirt, Silabus inhaled sharply.

"Six months?" he said weakly, looking up at Kuhn.

"You won't be trapped for that long," Kuhn promised. "I'll make sure of it."

* * *

Uhh. I tried to add in more detail, from Silabus' point of view. And make the chapter longer. I hope I did both. xD;;


	6. deal

Upon exiting Raven's Home after being told by Kuhn to go on ahead, that he'd meet up with Silabus in a bit, Silabus quite literally bumped into the merchant player he had met earlier. Before he fell into the coma and became stuck in here. Falling back from the force of the bump, Silabus landed on the ground hard. Wincing, he took a moment to let the sudden sharp pain die down a bit. This _sucked_, being stuck in the game and able to feel everything.

"Oh, sorry!" the catboy said, extending his hand for Silabus to take. Apparently recognizing Silabus' PC, the character tilted his head to one said.

Taking the offered hand, Silabus stood, offering a weak smile to the other player. "Pilo, right?"

"You remembered!" Pilo said, smiling brightly. "How are you liking The World?"

Silabus hesitated, wondering what he should say. In all honesty, he wasn't enjoying The World very much at _all_ right now. But then, he wasn't a newbie either, and Pilo seemed to think that he was. Besides, it would just make Pilo think he was lying, or the PC might invite him to join a party. And there was no way Silabus was going to join a party and have to warp to another area. Not to mention how rude he would seem, rejecting the invitation.

Fortunately, Kuhn exited Raven then. Taking the few steps over to Silabus and Pilocchio, he stood next to Silabus with his arms folded over his chest, blue eyes looking at Pilo suspiciously.

"Kuhn!" Silabus exclaimed, faltering a bit when he saw Kuhn's expression. He looked over at Pilo, who seemed a bit shocked at the uncalled for animosity. Turning back to Kuhn, he gestured to Pilo. "Um, this is Pilo. Pilo, this is my friend, Kuhn."

"You used to run that guild. Canard, right?" Pilo asked, smiling politely. Kuhn only frowned. Silabus frowned, biting his lower lip. Kuhn was acting strangely...

"Kuhn?" Silabus said quietly, touching Kuhn's arm hesitantly. Kuhn continued staring at Pilo, a hard frown on his lips. Pilo frowned as well.

"I'll talk to you later, Silabus," Pilo said slowly. "It was nice to meet you, Kuhn."

Raising a hand in a small wave, Pilocchio turned and left. Watching him go, Silabus turned back to Kuhn.

"What was th-"

"Are you sure you want to be making friends after what happened?" Kuhn asked, looking at Silabus. Eyes widening, Silabus wrapped a hand around his wrist, staring solemnly at the ground. Why was Kuhn acting like this?! Tears welled up in his eyes yet again as Silabus wondered why Kuhn was being so rude. This was so frustrating!

"He's friends with Ita. And Gaspard and Ita are friends," Silabus murmured quietly. That had to count for something, right?

The soft thump of Kuhn's boots making contact with the ground sounded as he took a step forward, wrapping his arms around Silabus. Sighing into the brunet's hair, he tightened his hold on Silabus.

"I don't want anything to happen to you," Kuhn murmured into Silabus' ear, sending shivers down the shorter boy's spine. Kuhn probably didn't realize that Silabus could feel his warm breath against his ear, despite having just learned that Silabus was stuck in the game.

Wrapping his arms around Kuhn, Silabus' clenched the fabric of Kuhn's shirt tightly, burying his head in the small space between Kuhn's arm and chest.

_I don't either._

--

_"I've got to go to work, but I'll be back around eight tonight. Try to get some sleep, okay?" Kuhn said, breaking away from the hug and bending slightly to look Silabus in the eye, a small smile on his lips._

And Silabus had slept, surprisingly. After walking back to Canard's Home, he had gone to one of the secluded areas against the wall, the potted plants hiding him from view. Sometime during his nap, Death Grunty had wandered over and curled against Silabus, pushing the Blade Brandier's hand onto his head. When Silabus had awoken, he had been touched that Death Grunty would comfort him in his sleep. Of course, when Death Grunty had woken up, he had been horribly embarrassed and had gone off to send annoying messages to Haseo.

Unsurprisingly, Haseo appeared a short while later to yell at the "stupid pig."

When Haseo said it was around 8:10 after Silabus asked him for the time, Silabus frowned, wondering where Kuhn was.

"Could you send him a message, asking him to meet me in the Alchemy District?" Silabus had asked, to which Haseo complied.

And here Silabus was, waiting for Kuhn.

"Sorry I'm so late!" Kuhn exclaimed, appearing from the warp portal and running over to Silabus. Grinning, he rubbed his hand against his neck sheepishly. "I took a different train than I usually did and nearly missed my stop!"

Smiling, Silabus asked, "Did you want a change of scenery?"

Hesitating, Kuhn took Silabus' hand gently and moved him over to the water fountain. Sitting down, he tugged Silabus to sit next to him.

"I went to see you," Kuhn said. Silabus blinked, furrowing his brow.

"But I've been her-"

"The real you, I mean," Kuhn corrected himself, frowning. Silabus froze, gaping at Kuhn.

"Y-you what?" he whispered. "B-but... why?"

"It didn't sit well with me, knowing that your real body was alone in a hospital room and attached to all sorts of machines," Kuhn said. Silabus moaned quietly, imagining how he must look. Would he have the oxygen mask on? IV tubes inserted into his veins? Would he look horribly small on that hospital bed, smaller than he already looked?

"But," Kuhn said quickly, noticing Silabus' growing distress. "It seemed I didn't have to worry. Someone was leaving just as I came in."

"Who?" Silabus asked with wide eyes.

"Sawa... Sakasaki?" Kuhn said slowly, struggling to remember the name.

"Sakamaki?" Silabus supplied, biting his lip when Kuhn nodded.

"That's it! Is he a friend of yours or something?"

"We live in the same apartment complex. I wonder why Sakamaki-kun would go to see me though..." Silabus trailed off, a bit stunned that someone had actually gone to visit him. Looking up when Kuhn put a hand on his own, Silabus blinked.

"You mean a lot to a lot of people, Silabus," Kuhn said gently, smiling. Silabus blushed, bowing his head to hide it.

"S-so, you came to Sendai then?" Silabus said, struggling to think of a new topic to talk about. Kuhn groaned, leaning back.

"I sure did! It took forever to get there, too!" Kuhn exclaimed. "Why do you have to live so far away, Silabus?" Was it just Silabus, or was there a slight whine in Kuhn's voice..?

"Where were you coming from?" Silabus asked, laughing quietly.

"Kanazawa," Kuhn said. "That's why I haven't been on until now."

"K-Kanazawa?" Silabus asked, eyes wide. "But that's on the other end of Japan!"

"It looked so much closer on the map..." Kuhn said wistfully, grinning. Silabus smacked his arm lightly.

"Kuhn! You didn't have to come to Sendai!" Silabus said, frowning earnestly. "It must have been so expensive!"

"Yeah, it was. But you're there, Silabus. And like I said, the idea of you being alone in a hospital doesn't sit well with me."

Blushing once again, Silabus stared down at his hand that, sometime in the conversation, had intertwined its fingers with Kuhn's.

"Listen, Morino-kun," Kuhn said, shocking Silabus with the use of his real name. The same soft smile Kuhn always seemed to have reserved just for Silabus was there, somehow relaxing him. "I don't mind the cost or traveling that far. I won't be able to see you every day like Samisaki can, but I'll try to whenever I can. And when you're awake, you'll have to show me around Sendai. I want to try some sasakamaboko!"

"Sakamaki," Silabus corrected absent-mindedly, in awe of what Kuhn was willing to do for him. He bit his lip, staring at their still intertwined fingers, before up at Kuhn. "And um... j-just Yuuichi is fine." He blushed, averting his eyes again. "You'll have to show me around Kanazawa then."

"I'll be the best tour guide ever, or my name isn't Tomonari!" Kuhn exclaimed with a grin, causing Silabus to burst out laughing.

"Alright then, Tomonari-kun," Silabus said with a nod. "It's a deal!"

* * *

Phew! xD After all the angst from the last chapter, I figured I'd make it somewhat light-hearted. Kuhn and Silabus are growing closer and closer (no one forgot that the main pairing of this WAS KuhnSila, right?) We'll delve back into the angst soon though, no worries! :3

**Notes**:

**o1. **_"Sakimaki?" _Shinnosuke Sakimaki is Sakisaka's real name. He's the same age as Silabus. It isn't said where he's from, so.. why not have him and Silabus know each otheri in the real world? xD

**o2. **_"K-Kanazawa?" Silabus asked, eyes wide. "But that's on the other end of Japan!"_

_"It looked so much closer on the map..." Kuhn said wistfully, grinning. Silabus smacked his arm lightly._

_"Kuhn! You didn't have to come to Sendai!" Silabus said, frowning earnestly. "It must have been so expensive!"_ A trip to and from Kanazawa and Sendai would take about six and a half hours and would cost 21,o4o yen (2oo USD). (Thanks to Tatshmaru for helping me find this out. xD)

**o3. **_"I want to try some sasakamaboko!" _Sasakamaboko is said to be one of Sendai's specialities. (wikipedia) _  
_


	7. tomorrow

"SILABUS!" was the only warning the Blade Brandier got before a mass of pink flung itself at him. Looking down, he realized it was Gaspard. Smiling, Silabus patted his head, half-expecting to be able to feel fur. But all he could fell was... nothing. It was as though he was feeling an inanimate object; it wasn't soft, but it wasn't rough either. It was just there. Gaspard's fur only looked soft, just like the walls of the buildings looked to have texture.

"Hey, Gaspard!" Silabus said warmly, giving his young friend a quick hug.

"I didn't know you were hanging out with Kuhn! You should have told me! I would have skipped going to the arcade then!" Gaspard complained, running to give Kuhn a quick hug. Silabus watched as Kuhn returned the hug, asking Gaspard how he had been lately, before he noticed Haseo was there as well. And Haseo did not look pleased. Not that he ever did, though. But this time, his displeasure seemed more apparent; less easy to ignore.

"Haseo? What's up?" Silabus asked uneasily, bringing the attention to Haseo.

"Yata," Haseo said, spitting out the name like it was poison, "wants to see you." He stared at Kuhn.

Frowning, Kuhn stood up. "Is everything okay?"

"H-has he found out anything?" Silabus asked, standing as well.

"Not here," Kuhn said, grabbing hold of Silabus hand and tugging him to the warp portal with a quick "bye!" to Gaspard.

"Silabus?" Gaspard asked, voice trembling. "What's going on?"

"I'll explain everything later," Silabus promised, before stumbling. He would have fallen, were it not for Haseo steadying him.

"He can't warp, Kuhn," Haseo huffed as his bike appeared. "You warp - I'll take Silabus to Raven's Home." He got onto the bike, waiting for Silabus to get on as well. Looking hesitantly at Kuhn, Silabus slowly got on the bike, yelping as Haseo shot off. Within moments, they had arrived. Wasting no time, Haseo grabbed Silabus' wrist and tugged him alone.

"What's going on?" Kuhn demanded, already inside. Silabus shut his eyes at the sudden darkness, slowly opening and letting them adjust. Already, he was back in this place. Couldn't Yata have picked a brighter building to have his guild be located in?

"He wants to data drain Silabus," Haseo scowled, folding his arms in front of his chest. Silabus frowned, furrowing his brow. Data drain? That sounded... unpleasant, to say the least. If just warping had been so disconcerting, how would having the data drained from him feel?

"What?!" Kuhn exclaimed. "He isn't like us, Yata! He feels _everything_ now! We can't just-"

"Calm down, Kuhn," Pi snapped. "Losing your cool isn't going to help the situation any."

Glowering at her, Kuhn kept his mouth shut. Standing next to Haseo, Silabus looked down at the ground. If Kuhn was this worried about him being data drained, then it certainly couldn't be good. He wrapped his arms around himself, feeling his heart beat faster. He didn't want that feeling of being pulled apart, of not being there and yet being everywhere. But if it could help him...

"W-what is a 'data drain'?" Silabus asked quietly, looking up uncertainly at Yata. Yata stared back at him before explaining.

"We believe that when AIDA attacked you, it put part of itself in you, keeping your mind chained to this game. When we data you, it will get rid of the link that is keeping you here," he said calmly, face emotionless as always.

"Will it hurt?" Silabus softly murmured. He didn't want to be stuck here anymore, and yet...

"I don't know," Yata said honestly. "There's a possibility data draining might not even work, either."

"Then he can't do it!" Kuhn and Haseo exclaimed.

"We have to try!" Pi exclaimed. "Silabus is extremely vulnerable now. It's only a matter of time before some PKer tries to off him."

"Then I'll stay with him!" Kuhn yelled. "We can't make Silabus go through with this! There's too many risks, and-"

"I'll do it," Silabus said, wrapping his arms around himself. "Like Miss Pi said, it's worth a shot."

"We'll do it tomorrow," Yata said. "I'll do the data draining myself, just to be on the safe side."

Nodding, Silabus looked over at Haseo and Kuhn worriedly. Haseo scowled at him but said nothing; he actually looked kind of worried now, instead of pissed off. And Kuhn...

"Are you sure, Silabus?" Kuhn asked. "We can do it some other time, when we're one hundred percent sure it'll work."

Silabus shook his head. "I want to go back to the real world. Where I can feel things again, and go to different places, and talk face-to-face with people. This world isn't fun anymore, Kuhn."

Kuhn frowned, putting a gloved hand on Silabus' head and sliding it down to rest on Silabus' thin shoulder.

"If you're sure..." Kuhn murmured. "I'm going to go back to Sendai then. I'll be there when you wake up."

Opening his mouth to protest, Silabus realized how serious Kuhn sounded. Smiling sadly, Silabus nodded.

"Tomorrow, then."


	8. beginning

Arguing voices was the first thing Yuuichi heard. Muffled yelling, followed by a momentary bright light and then, as the light disappeared, the slamming of a door. A grunt as someone sat down next to him, the rustling of plastic as the bag was placed on the floor

"Yuuichi?" a voice said. Something told Yuuichi he should know that voice, but in his disoriented state it was impossible to. It could have been his own father for all he knew. "Are you up? Yata did the data-drain and you logged off right after, so it had beeter have worked or else I'll kick his-"

Yuuichi groaned quietly, peeling his eyes open. Dark grey eyes met his, a face framed by messy brown hair. An unfamiliar face, with a somewhat familiar voice? It would have to be someone from The World then, but...

"Kuhn?" Yuuichi rasped out, brow furrowing as he stared at the person dazedly.

"Yo," he said, raising a hand lazily in greeting. Scooting the chair closer to the bed Yuuichi was laying on, he folded his arms on the bed, lightly touching Yuuichi's arm. "I thought we agreed on Tomonari. Had you forgotten?"

"Wha..?" Yuuichi said, before realizing what Tomonari was talking about. "Oh. I'm sorry. I just..."

"Its fine!" Tomonari laughed. He settled his head on his arms, staring at Yuuichi. "I'm glad it all worked out."

"Me too," Yuuichi said, smiling softly before frowning. "Are you going to tell the others?"

Tomonari blinked, sitting up slightly. "Do you want to? I have my stuff with me."

Yuuichi shook his head. "I think I'm going to take a little break from The World. Focus on school and all that, you know?" He laughed nervously. "The World always kept me so preoccupied, and I probably have a lot to catch up on with my classes. The teachers are slavedrivers, honestly-"

"its okay if you're scared," Tomonari said, moving a hand to take hold of Yuuichi's hesitantly. He squeezed it briefly before bending down to dig through his plastic bag. Putting the headset on, he held the controller with one hand as he joined Yuuichi on the bed. "I'll play, and you speak through the mic, okay? We'll do it together."

* * *

The last chapter is extremely short, I know. I'm so sorry about that - and the wait! I just didn't really know where to go from the previous chapter.

I'll continue to write fanfictions, but I might not dabble into the .hack/GU fandom anymore. Its been too long since I've played the games, and I don't want to massacre the characters. I have a MatsuSila oneshot posted on my writing LiveJournal that I'm afraid to post on here for that very reason. I'll probably be switching to the Prince of Tennis fandom.

Thank you very much for everyone who stuck with me and continued reading. And thank you to everyone who left reviews. They mean a lot! :)


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